Eyeglasses



UNITED STATES PATENT FFIcE.

WILLIAM o. BARNES, or SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

EYEGLASSES.

y SPECIFICATION. forming part of LettersPatent No. 282,946, dated August 14, 1883.

' Application filed June 12,1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, \VILLIAM OQBARNES, of Southbridge, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Eyeglasses, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like-parts.

My invention relates to eyeglasses, and has for its object to produce a more comfortable and convenient nose-piece than those hereto- "fore in use.

Eyeglasses have previously been made having a yielding or elastic nose-piece connected at one end with the eyeglass-frame, and having a movement toward and from the said frame at the other end, by which they are rendered self-adjusting, or areenabled to come to a more even bearing upon the sides of'the nose than if they were rigidly connected with the eyeglass-frame. In some instances the yielding nose-pieceshave been connected at thelower end with the frame, .being movable toward and from it at the upper end, and in other cases they have had a fixed connection at the upper end, and have been free to yield at the lower end.

My invention has for its object to enable the nose piece or pad to have a yielding movement at either end or throughout its entire length with relation to the eyeglass-frame, so that it is completely self-adj usting to noses of various shapes.

My improved nose-piece consists of a compound or double-acting spring, connected at one end (in this instance its upper end) with the eyeglass-frame at or near the point where the usual connecting-spring of the eyeglass is applied, and having one portion extended down near the side of the frame a'sufficien't distance, its lower end being free to yield with relation to the frame, and having a suitable guide to steady it in its yielding movement. This downwardly extending portion of the spring thus affords the necessary yielding movement for the lower end of the nose piece or pad, and thesaid nose-piece also comprises a spring connected with the lower end of the said downwardly-extending portion, and-extending upward to a point nearly opposite the point of attachment of the downwardly extending portion of the spring, where it is provided with a guide to steady it in its yielding movement. The said upwardlyextending portion is provided with the usual corrugated surface'orpad for engaging the side of the nose,

and by its yielding movement with relation to the downwardly-extendin g portion, to the lower end of which it is attached, permits the said nose piece or pad to have a yielding move ment at its upper end with relation to the frame, and by the compound action of the two portions of the spring the said pad is enabled to yield at any pointin its length, so as to properly adjust itself to the nose.

Figure 1 is afront elevation of a pai'rof eye-- glasses embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a sectional detail on line a; 00, on alarger scale, show ing the guide for the upper end of the upward ly-extending portion of the nose-piece spring; and Fig. 3, a sectional detail on line 3 Fig. 1, showing the guide for the lower end of the downwardly-extended portion of the nose piece spring. 1

The frames a b, containing the glasses and connected together by the spring a, maybe of any suitable or usual construction, and have connectedwiththem springnose-pieces,(shown in this instance as connected at their upper ends withthe studs 6,) to which the ends of.

thesprings c are attached.

The nose-piece spring consists of a main portion, (1, extending down substantially parallel with the adjacent portion of the frames to b a sufficient distance, and a secondary or upwardly-extended portion, (1, connected with the lower end of the portion d, and extending upward to a point near where the portion d is attached to the stud e, the upper end of the portion (1 being turned toward the frame, as shown at 3, and reduced in width and provided with a T- shaped head, so as to form a guiding-finger passing through a slot in the other portion, (2,

as shown in Fig. 2, to steady the upwardlyextending portion (1 of the said spring in its yielding movement toward andfrom the frames of the glasses; The upwardly-extended portion dof the spring is provided with the usual corrugated surface or pad, t, to engage the sides of the nose, and it will be seen that by having two portions, (1 d, of the spring side by side, as shown, double the usual amount of yie1ding movement may be obtained, and the said movement may take place at any part of the pad, so that the nose-piece will more readily adjust itself to the nose of the wearer than when a single spring is employed. The lower end of the nose-piece spring is shown as curved inward and upward toward the frame, and is provided with a slot, 4, to receive a guidingstud, m, co-operating with it in the usual manner, and provided with a T- shaped head, m,

l to limit the outward movement of the main or downwardly-extended portion of the spring from the frames a b, and the T- shaped head of the finger 3 of the portion (2 co-operates in a similar manner with the slot in the upper end of the portion (1 of the spring.

I claim 1. The combination, with a pair of springconnected eyeglass-frames, of a compound or double-acting nose-piece spring, consisting of a main portion connected at one end with the frame, and having its other end free to yield or move relatively to the frame, and-a secondary portion connected at one end with the free I end of the main portion, and having its other end guided in the said main portion and free to yield with relation thereto, substantially as described.

2. The eyeglass-frames provided with guiding-studs, combined with compound or doubleacting nose-piece springs, each consisting of a downwardly-extended portion, connected at its upper end with the frame, and slotted near its upper end, and an upw ardly-extended portion, the said portions being connected together at their lower ends, and the upwardly extended portion having a guide-finger at its upper end, co-operating with the slot near the upper end of the other portion, and the compound spring beingslotted near its lower end to engage the guiding-stud on the frame, substantially as described.

- In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses V WM. 0. BARNES. \Vitnesses:

- W. S. ROBINSON,

ELZEAR LAMOUREUX. 

